abscissa

[ ab-sis-uh ]
/ æbˈsɪs ə /

noun, plural ab·scis·sas, ab·scis·sae [ab-sis-ee] /æbˈsɪs i/. Mathematics.

(in plane Cartesian coordinates) the x-coordinate of a point: its distance from the y-axis measured parallel to the x-axis.

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Compare ordinate.

Origin of abscissa

1690–1700; feminine of Latin abscissus (past participle of abscindere to abscind)

Words nearby abscissa

abscam, abscess, abscind, abscise, abscisic acid, abscissa, abscission, abscission layer, abscission zone, abscond, abscondee
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British Dictionary definitions for abscissa

abscissa
/ (æbˈsɪsə) /

noun plural -scissas or -scissae (-ˈsɪsiː)

the horizontal or x -coordinate of a point in a two-dimensional system of Cartesian coordinates. It is the distance from the y -axis measured parallel to the x -axisCompare ordinate

Word Origin for abscissa

C17: New Latin, originally linea abscissa a cut-off line
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for abscissa

abscissa
[ ăb-sĭs′ə ]

Plural abscissas abscissae (ăb-sĭs′ē)

The distance of a point from the y-axis on a graph in the Cartesian coordinate system. It is measured parallel to the x-axis. For example, a point having coordinates (2,3) has 2 as its abscissa. Compare ordinate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.